Grip
by RocksCanFly
Summary: Roy's been maintaining radio silence since New Years. RoyxKaldur. Rating for language. Written for an exchange with the lovely Shade's Ninde.


AN: As you may be able to tell, the ending of this kind of sucks. I'm hoping that some well meant an thoughtful criticism (hint hint nudge nudge) can help me salavge what I'd like to believe is an otherwise decent fic.

To Shade's Ninde: Here it is! I hope it was at least partially worth the wait.

* * *

"Red Arrow."

"Roy. May I speak to you?"

"Right now's not a good time."

"I only require a few moments of your time-"

"I'm busy. I'll call you back later."

"_Roy-_"

_Click._

* * *

"Yo! Red Arrow, my man!"

_"The fuck did you get here-_ What_, _West_?"_

"Green Arrow called. Heard you had a zombie problem. This, by the way? Exactly why I love being a hero_._ Oh, btw, when was the last time you talked to Aqualad?"

"Is now _really _the time?"

"Dude, _totally_. I've _always_ wanted to have an awkward relationship talk about two of my best friends in the middle of a zombie apocalypse."

"You're being an idiot."

_Crunch._

"Was that the door? Are zombies breaking in? Oh, this is so _sweet_! But, yeah. Or _you're_ being an ass to Kaldur and _I'm_ trying to be his friend."

"Get ready to cover the stairs. And, really? Now _isn't_ the time."

"Fine. Later, then. Do I get to wait for three weeks to talk to you about this, or is that just a special treatment for boyfriends?"

"Duck."

_Swish_

_Boom_

"_Headshot, bitch_. Kid, it's none of your business. Get off my ass."

"_Here comes the next one_- Or you could get off _your_ ass and pick up the damn com when he calls."

"_Act useful or go away_- In case you haven't noticed, I've been a little bit busy fighting _off a horde of goddamn zombies_."

"Just a millisecond, let a few line up- here we _go_-"

_Shwoosh. Crash. CRUNCH._

"_How's that for useful?_ - Yeah, since, like, an hour ago. What about for the past three weeks?"

"_Impressive. But can you make them explode?_ - I can't believe he asked you to talk to me-"

"-don't you know shit about him? Of course he didn't ask me to talk to you. I'm just a nice guy. 'Sides, Kaldur doesn't know _how_ to ask for help with shit like this. And the only one he's good at expressing emotions with is the guy who _happens_ to be _ignoring him_. "

" You his girlfriend now or something? _Duck_."

"How many of these fugly bastards are there? I say we retreat to the window and blockade the door"

"Sounds good. Let's go_"_

_Footsteps. The sound of furniture scraping across the floor as its used to barricade a door._

_"Awesome_- Anyways, I'm pretty sure that title still goes to you, buddy."

"..."

"Roy? Dude, you okay?"

"Screw it. I've got zombies to kill."

"Wait there the hell do you think you're- _Dude_, no fair zip-lining! Roy, you _ass_, get back here!"

_SMASH._

" Oh, _hey guys_! About the _fugly_ comment, you know I didn't mean that- _ohgodwhywhatthehell_- NO! Bad, _bad_ zombie, _no_trying to bite the merchandise- SPEEDY I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE I SWEAR IT ON SCIENCE!"

* * *

"..."

"I can feel you glaring at me."

"..."

"I'm ignoring you."

"..."

"What do you _want_?"

"..."

"Superboy!"

"What?"

"You're dog is glaring at me again."

"Have you talked to Kaldur yet?"

"_No._"

"Then you're still being an asshole. Wolf doesn't like assholes."

"He likes _you_."

"I'm special."

* * *

_Draw. Aim. Breathe. Release._

_Draw. Aim. Breathe. Release._

_Draw. Aim. Breathe. Release._

_Draw. Aim. Breathe-_

"Hey RA."

_Miss wildly because of sneaky Bat-ninjas._

"Robin?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"Being totally not-whelmed by how much of a dick you're being to Kaldur?"

"I- Fuck it. No. I'm not explaining myself to you. I'm practicing. Go away, _bat-brat."_

"Bat-brat? Really? Low, Harper, even for you. So not aster. Sinking to puns like that, even after all that ranting about GA."

"This coming from the crown prince of language slaughter."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Hey, you talked to Kaldur recently."

_Breathe. Draw. Aim. Fire._

_Fucker __**dodged**__._

* * *

"Excuse me? Red Arrow?"

"Yeah?"

"Artemis is helping Zatanna and I improve our hand-to-hand. Do you mind helping her with the demonstrations?"

"No offence, but I don't exactly feel like being a punching bag right now."

"What's the matter, Harper? Afraid I'll bruise you?"

"You wish, Blondie. And you're not goading me."

"I'll bake cookies?'

"No offense, Miss M, but cookies aren't gonna keep me here against me will."

"What if they're snickerdoodles?"

"...Fine. Deal."

* * *

_Oomph._

"_Fuck_. Do ya have to hit so hard?"

" Oh, _I'm sorry_, did that hurt right then when I punched you in the heart? It did? Good. Looks like you _do_ have one."

"_Sonuva bitch_, really? This is about Kaldur? I'm out."

"Oh no you don't, _arrow boy_."

"Great. A force field. Really, Zatanna? You too?"

"I figured that since I'm part of the team now, I should probably help on the whole beat-up-on-team-leader's-asshole-boyfriend effort."

"I'm not his boyfriend."

"Oh, really? So that time I caught you guys making out last month was just some weird alien-sex-pollen thing? "

"Making out with West has infected your brain. And I'm not his boyfriend anymore. Even if I was_,_ it's none of any of your guys' business. Kaldur's a big boy. He and I can resolve our own issues."

"Yeah, except you've been avoiding him. You never come by the cave unless you know he won't be there. You hardly speak to him when Batman has you come with us on missions, and you ignore him every time he coms you if it's not an absolute fucking _crisis_. It may just be me, but that doesn't sound like _dealing_ with your issues."

"Done ranting, sweet heart? Good. It's nice to know that you guys finally give a shit about your leader, but this isn't your business. Back. _Off_."

"Don't you zeta away from me Harper! This _isn't_ over!"

* * *

"Red Arrow."

"_Report to the Cave. I have a mission for you_."

"I'll be there in five."

"_Make it two_."

"What's up?

"I'm sending you on a retrieval mission."

"Stolen League tech?"

"No. Missing personnel."

"Who?"

"Aqualad."

"What the he- Why the fuck wasn't I told about this sooner?"

"We only lost contact with Aqualad an hour ago. The rest of the team has already been deployed to search for him. There's a chance of him being in mulitple locations, so-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, _what_? _An hour_? Kaldur's been off the map for an _hour _and no one thought to _fucking_ _tell_ me?"

"The time was spent attempting to locate Aqualad's coordinates and deploy the team. Aquaman and Aqualad's parents were notified. You were not contacted because it is not a League imperative to keep you up to date."

"Not a Leag- just what do you bastards think he _is_ to me?"

"What he is or isn't to you isn't of consequence. You are neither a significant other nor a family member according to League files. You're wasting time; time that should be spent _searching_ for and _rescuing_ Aqualad."

"..."

"Red Arrow."

"...Fine. What are the coordinates?"

"I'm sending them to your communicator now. Keep on watch for League of Shadows agents. Aqualad was on a top secret mission when we lost communication. I can't tell you what he was looking for, but I will tell you that any enemies you find will likely be highly dangerous. If you find him, do not engage the enemy unless absolutely necessary. Call for back-up."

"Got it."

"Good luck."

* * *

_Sonuvabitch fucking __**Batman**__. Couldn't be bothered to tell me I'd be searching for Kaldur in a damn __**swamp**__._

_Eugh. It's going to take me months to get the mud cleaned out places I don't even wanna think about right now._

_Kaldur, you'd better be here..._

* * *

"Hey, did you hear something?"

"Yes, fuckwad. I hear. Do you know what I hear? I hear the sound of a thousand fucking frogs in fucking mating season. That is what I fucking hear."

"Hey, _dude_, watch the language!"

"You're fucking kidding me right? Goddamn, you poor fucking bastard. Grow some damn balls, you pussy. You're godamn henchman, dammit. You are currently guarding an evil base holding a superhero captive. Not just any godamn superhero, but a mother fuckin' teenager. I think the last moral reservation you should be experiencing right now is over my goddamn mother fuckin' language, _bitch_."

"Is that _really_ necessary?"

"Fuckin' hell _yes_."

"Uhh... yes what?"

"Yes, it is fuckin' necessary!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you just fuckin' ask me- oh, _shi_-"

"And that's why the adage "henchmen should be seen and not heard" is still a popular one."

"Hey!"

"Don't worry, you're next. But first, I have some questions for you about that "mother fuckin' teenager" your friend here was just talking about..."

* * *

_Please. I don't ask for a lot. Most of the time I doubt you're even there. But __**please**__. If there's anyone, __**anything**__, listening, just let him be okay._

* * *

_There is a reason most Atlanteans never leave the ocean. The thought of so much air, so easily susceptible to changes of heat, so naturally inclined to fire, with that great, deadly cloud of potential fuel as the only thing separating them from the sun, from the heat... _

_There is always the danger of drying, of the very space around you sucking your most valued and familiar resource, that component that is as much an extension of yourself as your senses, from your very skin. _

_Kaldur knows he is considered brave because he fights alongside his King against the perils of Earth._

_He also knows he is considered insane for doing so on __**land**__._

_It is moments (lifetimes) like these when he sees with unfailing certainty the logic of that conclusion._

_It is too hot. His captors do not have the decency to allow him to die. No, they are to careful, to cruel for that. He is kept alive, kept hydrated, but just barely._

_Kaldur is known for his patience because he can make the waiting hours pass in a lucid haze of dreams. His body and mind are exhausted. It cannot have been more than a few hours since he was captured. In truth, he feels as if it has been decades, centuries. Darkness encroaches at the edge of his vision. The dreams do not come._

* * *

_League of Shadows Deep South Base, Florida USA_

_Sector 5, Security Camera 4_

_May 14, 2012_

_22:00 Hours_

A man appears briefly in the corner of the screen.

Later, upon closer investigation of the footage, it is determined that the man is the rogue clone formerly known as Roy Harper, now known only by his codename, Red Arrow.

The man appears to know what he is looking for, and apparently has prior knowledge of a majority of base surveillance, as this footage is the only visually recorded evidence that Red Arrow was ever on base (Further investigation of this would later reveal Red Arrow as the sole reason for the disappearance of Security Force Agents 115 and 034).

For a few seconds, the camera tracks Arrow's path until he round the corner and disappears out of sight. Ten minutes later, Harper returns with former Shadows prisoner Kaldur'ahm, codename Aqualad, in tow. Remarkably, Harper's entrance and exit of the base goes undetected until the routine guard change at Aqualad's holding cell, five minutes after Arrow is last seen on film.

Security forces, accompanied by Shadows agents Sportsmaster, Black Spider, and Hook, are unable to find any trace of Arrow and the escaped prisoner. Agents 115and 034 were discovered missing at 22:47, discovered unconscious and moderately injured 23:56.

Investigations as to how the Justice League was able to locate Aqualad are ongoing. Both agents are pending tribunal and punishment for leaking Shadow information.

* * *

_It is cold, pleasantly so. The slow, hellish heat has left him. Water, cool and silty, flows around him. _

_Before, Kaldur did not dare to dream. To dream meant to drift. To drift meant to stop forcing his lungs to inflate, meant to cease breathing._

_He can easily breathe, now. A hand, large and callused and cool, grips his tightly. Arms hold him steady in the water. It is safe. _

_The dreams come, and Kaldur floats upon them, confident that the grip on his hand won't let him escape with the current._

* * *

"Hey."

"Greetings."

"What, no 'my friend'?"

"I am tired. Excuse me if I lack my usual eloquence."

"Oh yeah, sure..."

"..."

"... Shit, Kaldur, I'm sorry."

"Excuse me?"

"You know... for not being there. For not having your back on the mission. For, well, everything."

"..."

"What, no _'as you should be, my friend, and you are most fortunate that I currently incapable of beating your imbecilic ass'_?"

"..."

"Holy shit, are you _laughing_?"

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you would stop making me do so. It is causing me -_agh_- quite a lot of pain-"

"Sarcasm off, got it.'

"Thank-you. As for your apologies, they are unnecessary. While your behavior of the last few months has been frustrating to the point of infuriating, the blame for my failure does not rest on your shoulders. It was a solo assignment. Even if you had been communicating with me in these past months, you would not have been there to prevent Sportsmaster's surprise attack."

"Don't try to tell me you weren't distracted."

"Pardon my bluntness, but my frustration over your behavior was a very far second to my duty to the mission. It may do your ego well to remember that you are not the sole concern in my life."

"Shit, no, don't get mad, you know I didn't mean it like that-"

"Truly? So, you are not visiting me now, after _maintaining unnecessary radio-silence_ and _purposefully avoidin_g me for months, out of the misplaced idea that the lack of _your presence_ in _my life_ lead to the _failure_ of my _mission_?"

"Well, yes kinda, I mean _no_- oh shit, _ow_, _why_ did you _hit me_?"

"Because you are arrogant and an idiot, and such traits deserve pain."

"God, _fuck_, did those pain meds give you PMS? I thought we were _okay_. You were _laughing_."

"In my relief to see you I had temporarily forgotten how infuriated I am with you."

"Infuriated? You're angry? Wait, but you-"

"I do not _'get angry'_? Was _that_ what you were about to say? I sincerely hope not, Roy Harper. I hope _you_ would know more about me than that. Or have you_ forgotten_?"

"No. It's just... They didn't tell me. The team, I mean. That you were angry."

"That is likely because they have yet to discover the multiple holes I have put into my walls. Also, as you know, my team has never been very skilled in discerning my emotions. But that is no excuse for your surprise. Tell me, if not anger, what did you think my reaction was to your abandonment?"

"Sadness?"

"Initially, yes. I was 'sad' that my _best friend_ did not trust me enough to confide in me after the loss of his identity. But sadness can only be felt for so long before it ferments into anger, Roy Harper. After all of the years we have known one another, how? _How could you not trust me_?"

"It wasn't about you. It was about me. I'm... I'm not, Roy, Kaldur. I'm not your friend. I'm just some cheap knock-off."

"You are an idiot."

"I think we've established that."

"I do not think we have ever established the _full extent_. You are the only Roy Harper I have ever known. _Of course_ you are my friend."

"But-"

"Your protests are both futile and annoying. You _are _Roy Harper. You may not be the original, but neither are you a copy. you have grown and lived, Roy. You have forged your own life, your own path."

"But I haven't! Everything, everything I did, it was all the Light-"

"Somehow I doubt the Light was involved in you _fucking me_ on _your motorcycle_ after patrol two months ago."

"But-"

"Or in your friendship with Kid Flash and Robin. Or in your addiction to bad romance novels, or in your drinking habits, or in liberating the sea animals from that prison-"

"-it was a _pet store_-"

"-it was a _prison_. And I doubt that the Light cares about the fate of captive sea life, my friend."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"No. It _is_ what you meant. Your desire for freedom, for independence, your sense of loyalty and duty and your love of being a hero. Those are not artificial. Those belong to you. They are not the result of some program."

"How do you _know_?"

"M'gann wiped your mind of the Light's programming, but you remain a hero. You still maintain your friendship with the team. You maintain your place as an independent hero. Your came to rescue me. Tell me, do you feel any less strongly about _anything_ since that night?"

"I hate Ollie a bit less."

"And what of the rest?"

"_No_. I _still _feel all of those things, but that's _not the point_, that _all _belongs to Speedy-_mph_!"

"I sincerely hope that you did not actually gain all of your personality traits from Speedy. It is a terrifying thought that there may be more than one person on this planet as bullheaded as yourself."

"You kissed me."

"I have done far more than that with you before."

"But-"

"I am through with attempting to reason with you. You are Roy Harper. To quote on of your land phrases: _Get a grip_."

* * *

"So, hey Kaldur, I heard you were felling better and i though I'd stop by- _oh dear god no, why_?"

"Relax, Kid Mouth. We're both clothed underneath here."

"But you're in bed. Together. In the middle of the medical ward."

"Yeah."

"_Why?_"

"Well you see Wally, when two people love one another very much-"

"I meant why are you in bed with him instead of him kicking your ass?"

"I am not yet recovered enough to kick Red Arrow's ass. Something for which you should be grateful for, as it is also why we are still fully clothed."

"Aqualad?"

"Yes?"

"I get that we're all cool with one another 'cause we're bros and all, but please, please. Never talk to me about your and Roy's sex life again."

"I did not realize you were uncomfortable with the idea of sexuality, seeing as you and Artemis-"

"-_Youknowhatniceseeingya'butIgottagonowbye_!"

"Kaldur?"

"Yes?"

"When did you become a sass-monster?"

"I believe the transformation began around four years ago, when I met a very sarcastic and angry red head who eventually became my best friend."

* * *

And that's all the author wrote, folks. Please feel free to drop a line if you see any areas for improvement, or just want to make a remark.


End file.
